ARTICLES
by
Scott

 

      PEOPLE AND KIDS ARE STILL SLEEPING

 

 

                          Scott Perratti "The Rockin' Angler"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                     This is a plea to all boat users who use public boat launches.

 

 

When we arrive at a public launch, Our minds are usually preoccupied with the days plan to fish hard and other very important goals for the day.

 

 

 We arrive very early, most times before the sun rises, un-strap our boats, get our gear from the truck to the boat, and if there's a tournament, we sometimes say hello to old friends we haven't seen in a while.

 

 

 We then get back in our trucks and head to the ramp etc.... This is where my plea comes in.

 

 

  Most of the time, the public ramp is out in the middle of nowhere, no homes or businesses around, and we can make all the noise we want without fear of disturbing anybody. Then there's the other ramp.

 

 

This ramp is surrounded by homes with people sleeping at that ungodly hour, for nobody in his or her right mind, gets up to go fishing before the sun comes out right? Wrong! We do. Here's the catch. As in my ramp, that has houses all around the launch and in them people sleeping. There is now a lawsuit pending by these people, to close the boat launch until 7 A.M. During the week.

 

 

 I don't know about you, but that's when I fish, 4 to 11AM, Mon thru Fri, and leave the weekends to the warriors. The people that live around the ramp, who want the launch closed before 7 Am have a point. Most days, when I am at the launch, sitting on the lake by the launch in my boat, I'll watch the other anglers launch their boats oblivious to their surroundings, making all the noise they want. They will back their boats into the water a few feet, get out of their truck, get into the boat, start the main motor, sometimes they'll warm it up, other times they will back right up off the trailer, keeping the motor running, then bring the boat to the dock or shore, while leaving the motor running, get back in the truck, go park it, and then back in the boat, then  head out full blast if there is no no-wake zone by the ramp.
If there is a No-wake Zone, idle past it, and then blast off.     Wrong...

 

 

There is a right way and a wrong way to do things depending on where you are. Some Boat launches will not allow main motors to be used at all until out of the No-Wake zone. This should be a standard for all residential surrounded boat ramps. Put yourself in these peoples place. Imagine every morning at 4AM being woken up by anglers yelling, laughing, motors revving, etc.

 

 

In circumstances where there are houses surrounding a boat launch, here's what we should all do to respect their peace and quiet.

 

 

When you arrive at the launch, shut your truck off if it is a diesel, I know mine is loud as heck and would wake the dead. Prepare, unstrap, and load your boat quietly. When it's time to back your boat down into the water, have a rope tied to a front cleat, long enough so the boat will clear the back of the trailer, and take the other end of the rope thru the window in the truck, or tie it to your trailer hitch, and back the boat far enough into the water so it will float off the trailer. Then get out and pull the boat to the dock or shore. There is absolutely no reason at all to start your motor to remove it from the trailer. NONE... Then use your Trolling motor until away from the houses.

 

 

Besides, there are more fish at boat ramps you can catch, if you don’t start your motor.

 

 

There are kids and babies sleeping next door to that ramp, and they are sick and tired of being woken up every morning. I know my kids are!!!    Think about it...

 

 

 

 

 

New Gear for this month...

 

 

 Back up Camera......

 

 

I purchased from Overton’s Online, a nifty little device that saves the headache of backing a tow vehicle to a trailer. It is a Wireless Color Camera that mounts to the license plate bracket and has a 21/2 inch color monitor inside the truck. Installation is simple, and now I never have to get out of my truck again to see if I am close to the trailer hitch. It is a real time saver and it works well.

 

 

 

 

 

Frog Hooks......

 

 

There is a company at twooninetradingcompany@yahoo.com that sells these unique frog hooks that have the dual hooks, as weedless frogs usually do, but this hook has a third hook in the middle making for almost guaranteed hookups, and still keeping the frog weedless. Gary Watts, the inventor of this hook, also sells Bronzeye frogs with the hooks already installed. Check them out...

 

 

 

 

 

Hot Wheels Storage Case ............A Hot Idea for lure storage..........

 

 

Looking for a storage case that will hold up to 48 lures that will never EVER tangle up with each other?

 

 

Well, I found this by accident. My son who has outgrown his Hot Wheels cars, kept them in a Hot Wheels Storage case that held up to 48 cars. Enough said. Slap an UltimateBass.com decal on it and you can probably sell these by the thousands!! They cost less than 10 bucks!

 

 

 

 

 

          

To Spend or Not to Spend

Written by Scott Perratti

As a Pro Angler and Guide. I have been very vocal in the past about the price of lures. I hated the fact that some of the high end lures have reached up to and past the $25.00 mark, not to mention the $149.99 swimbaits. I have posted before, my feelings about how these companies are getting rich on us anglers, and like the price of gas, these prices seem to keep going up. Now granted there are some companies who's lures are relatively fair for what you get, but the high end lure companies have lures that start at $21.00 and up. The company that comes to mind first is MegaBass. They have a price range not for the faint of heart, nor struggling family man or woman, trying to stay on a budget. In order to purchase ANY of these lures, one must save their money for quite some time. One of the problems with these lures, is when buying from a local tackle store, in which we all need to support, is that the retailer who carries this product line, cannot make much money because the cost is so high, their markup has to be minimal, unless they are brazen enough to disregard the wholesale cost and put their 15-20% markup on the pricetag anyway. Though this is a problem when buying these lures at a local Mom and Pop Tackle store. When purchasing online from a larger retailer, an angler will most likely encounter prices closer to the actual wholesale cost. This is the part where I must put my tail between my legs and apologize. I have committed the act of hypocrisy and purchased an order of these high end lures. This is the equivalent of a mortgage payment or car payment. And though I have been guilty of raising a fuss over the price of these items, I am going to be the first to say that "They are worth it!" No, I do not like paying this price, nor will I buy these lures more frequently than once or twice a year, but in my opinion and observations, these lures outfish some lures that cost less than half the price, though there are still some lures that will do the trick at a quarter of the price, these lures are definitely fish catchers. They are high quality hand designed and no, I do not have any type of affiliation or endorsement with them. Now I have to also include abit of advice when using these high end products, and this comes from real life experience... Make every attempt to secure these lures with the best knots and line you can. Losing one of these lures could be a dinner for four at Pizza Hut... Scott Perratti "The Rockin' Angler"

                                       
A LESSON LEARNED          Scott Perratti         "The Rockin' Angler"

Today was not the greatest of days for me. As I got ready the night before, I put all my tackle into my boat that has been in my house all winter. After the hours of organizing and reorganizing, I finally had everything where it should be.
I was so excited! It had been a long long winter. To top it off, I had just replaced my motor on my boat. By the mechanics point of view, the motor had burned to lean. OK Whatever that means. I only know that I had to pay him $2500.00 to replace my 1992 motor with an older model. He insured my that the motor had never touched saltwater, and was good to go!
Well, I was ready. I had everything taken care of. I was to pre-fish today, all day for a midweek Wednesday Tournament.
It was going great. I got to the boat launch early morning. Smooth as silk into the water, like I haven't even stopped for the winter iceout. A nice breeze blowing from the Northeast had me wondering where I was going to go first. I started the big motor with no problem, let it warm up abit, and go. She shot up and out like a brand new engine straight from the box. I was up on plane in seconds, thinking it was well worth the $2500.00. In fact, it ran better than the last motor that had "leaned out."
I flew ontop the water to my first fishing hole, Shut her down and for about 20 minutes I tried some new lures, reels and gear that I had acquired over the winter months. So now I was ready to put all this gear into some hard core fishing. I was going to go to some points where I know that the small mouth were. I cranked the motor, traveled about 100 yards and then.............NOTHING.
No power,nada,zero. I checked for battery: OK Then checked for fuel: OK What is going on?
I cranked and cranked, and it started, hesitantly. I put the boat into gear.......DEAD.
Man I was about 2 miles from the launch! So I put down my trolling motor and started to the boat launch.
After almost an hour on high speed trolling power, I reached the launch. Before putting the boat back on the trailer, I tried it again. As I turned the key. I was thinking about the next day's Tournament, the following weeks of practice and Tournaments, the booked guided trips already on the calendar......NOTHING.
So I called the mechanic, since I had a 90 day warranty starting today, and then went to his shop.
So the first thing the mechanic does, is test my gas. My GAS? This is the gas I just put in the other day!
He pours the gas into a glass, and then said to me"Look,There's rust in your tank." "That's what blew the motor, and that's what blew your other motor" I thought it had burned too lean? What the hell is going on...?
Well, I learned a few things today. First is: If something breakdown, find out why. Don't just assume that it was one thing or another. Second: If you have a boat that was EVER taken into the saltwater, check out every inch of every inch.
I always assumed that my gas tank was plastic. NO it isn't and it is rusty inside, thereby releasing rust particles into my motor thru the gas line. Third: Don't let them see you cry like a little girl, because that is exactly what I did when I found out that I was done before I even started. Check your tanks, make sure there is no rust or anything that can make it's way into the motor, or you will be out on your ass fishing from the dock, until the motor can be fixed..If you have an extra $2500.00 to spare let me know, other wise you can find me at my dock, crying like a little girl.

KATRINA IS ON OUR MINDS  by Scott Perratti   "TRA"

 

Wednesday, 07 September 2005

I am so sorry to all of the people living in the wake of Katrina. I wish I could take away your pain. All that you have lost, I couldn't ever imagine. I am afraid that all efforts to restore civility, are going to be more than expensive, but almost impossible. The gas shortage is involved into every aspect of the cleanup and maybe, rebuilding some of what was lost. I believe that without the involvement of the entire nation, this will turn into years of suffering and depression. The American Red Cross, seems to be the best way to donate anything you can. I am going to start with 100.00 dollars that I really don't have to spare, but feel compelled to help. A few months ago, I wrote about the Article, "Gas me up". Thinking half heartedly, that gas prices may effect tournament fishing. With the Gulf of Mexico coast destroyed, underwater, and a complete mess, I think our oil supply will tap into reserves, and I need to go fill up the boat with gas. I'll finish when I get back. Well it came true. I never thought it was coming to this, but we are going to have to think about how we use our boats in the future. Remember when, to "fill er up" was about $20-30 bucks? Well I hate to break the news to you but presently, the $75-100 fill up, is only going to last for a little while, It's going to get worse! I predict that gas will eventually get to $5.00 bucks a gallon. No doubt in my mind. Now, all tournament anglers will hope to win the big fish pool, just to pay for the gas that got you there. That's if we can get to the tourney in the first place. I do not believe that we can continue to fish without having gas a major factor in the mix. Personally, I fish every single day. I usually fill up once a week, maybe twice. I have changed to a point, where I'll pick apart the water more and use my trolling motor more, before I pull up and blast to another spot. Just to save some gas. This is after BASS has increased entry fees to $5000.00 per tournament, with an entry cap at 100 Pros. OK the top 50 pays out to $10,000. But what about the rest? The same goes to FLW, where $100,000 will go to first, but $15000-$18000, goes to second place! We need better second place and up payout's. This means that pro fishing has to be as big as NASCAR in order to pay the bills. The rest are going to find part time jobs just to pay for the gas and get to, and fish the tournaments. I just don't see some smaller sponsorships paying the bill for the rest of the anglers trying to stay on the pro tour, or trying to get in. We each need to either win the lottery, or have a rich relative! I am hoping that we see more incentives for the other 50 anglers that have to come in knowing that they have the chance of loosing 5 grand. Otherwise we might not even see the field get to 100. Most smaller sponsors will not pay unless they are guaranteed to get some face time on the T. V. Sometimes though, fishing a tournament can be the farthest thing from your mind, if you live among the thousands displaced by the storm. Please, let's help them. Scott Perratti "The Rockin' Angler"

Too Much Hard Water

   

by Scott Perratti  "The Rockin'Angler"

                                                                                                           
After endless tackle reorganizations,line respools, and spending way too much from the catalogs, I found a way to increase my Finesse Fishing moves.

Flippin and pitchin to my cats! Well my wife's cats, I could have taken or left them long ago!

But now,I find they are a terrific reaction strike resource while pitchin and flippin.

Think about it... After the initial drive the cat crazy stage, they start to sit there and analyze the situation longer and longer.

Thats when I'll start my practicing.. I'll take a worm or tube, tie it on the light mono line, and start enticing reaction strikes from them. All you need is one cat. Even though my 4 year old daughter insists on being one too! I love it!!

As I seduce them with the bait, I notice that it takes some pretty tricky teasing on my part, And after a while I feel like I'm on the boat finessing the fish again.So when I just take the bait and pull it by them, nothing.. Then I'll try the stop and start retrieve,, nothing..

Then when the retrieve is fast and furious...Strike!! Everytime!!! So I get to thinkin, maybe Bass too? I know it won't work all of the time, but as I watch the water melt, At least I am not reading a catalog.

It does take some practice, but well worth the effort, besides, what else do I have to do??

                         The FatCats of the Lure business        Scott Perratti   "The Rockin' Angler"

To all involved in the lure industry:
There are the big names, the Kings of the business. We all know and have purchased their items, no matter what the cost.
Then there are the middle Princes, the companies who are producing great lures, but are charging more than modest markups.
Finally there are the Jokers. The guys who are either just starting out, or have been at it for a while but are just breaking even or still losing money.
Ask anyone who makes their own lures and they'll tell you that it's no picnic! Try it yourself, then you'll understand, but just because that a lure is the hottest thing at the moment, there is no reason for the markups.
We anglers make or break these company's. yet we still pay 20 plus dollars for a single lure..Oh sure, we will moan and groan about the price of gas, taxes and just about anything else, with that said, Lucky Craft reported more than average earnings for their last 3 years and are now in the rod business.
Just try to fill your box up with 100 dollars worth of Megabass lures. You are lucky if you get 5 lures for your money. The Japanese lure companies are making the most of our mighty dollar. We spend more money on Japanese lures than any other country in the world.
When it comes down to it, there are only a handful of American lure companies making it in the black. Most of the companies must sell every type of lure, from Crank to plastic. They must have the entire range, in order to make money, but the catch 22 is, these are the people who then charge for that 20 dollar jerkbait.
I have been researching some smaller companies that make the best lures in the world. Most are a one or two person operation. These companies really need our help in order to be able to give us these high quality lures at reasonable prices.
And if we don't support these companies, we will continue to pay ridiculous amounts of hard earned cash for their lures. The best thing is, that most of these smaller American companies make only one or two types of baits, but of the highest quality. I would rather shop at 10 different sites, but get the best of each, than shop a retailer and pay out the nose. With this said, I will be writing a new series of articles, exposing these companies that make these high quality lures.
If I get any samples or freebie's from these company's, we will give them away here at UB in our weekly contests. The point is, that we work much too hard to give our money to these Fatcats,and not enough to our fishing brothers and sisters.

"The Rockin' Angler" 
      






                                  Tough Bite Time                        
                      Scott Perratti "TheRockin'Angler"

My question is, "When does the mental side of fishing hurt our confidence and ability to catch bass?"
The story is the same wherever you go, and if the person you are talking to is honest, they will say the same thing as you are thinking, "It must be something I am doing wrong." Or "Man I suck, I'll never make it as a Pro."
I think any SERIOUS angler goes through the same thing every year. Well, at least I do. I'll be the first to admit it, I am sometimes so insecure this time of year, I feel like staying home and learn how to knit.
That's what has been, at least for me, a regular seasonal pattern of life for me every year since I started fishing full time. When my lake turns into a bass barren wasteland, and I couldn't bring in the weights I was at the beginning of the year to save my life, my thoughts turn onto myself, and what I do is unnecessarily beat myself up and bring turmoil to my common cents and rational thinking. What happens next, is a common reaction that I think happens to most of us, we go junk fishing, and do at a speed we would laugh at ourselves any other time of the year. Where I wouldn't need but maybe 3 or 4 poles on deck to catch a great limit, I now have 15 plus at my feet, and that not enough.
I find myself throwing a lure once or twice, and switching faster than the speed of light! My thoughts spinning in my head, thinking that if I only had a few more poles with I would sooner or later find the pattern I've been searching for the last 2 or 3 weeks.
Well, do not disappear, turnover is right around the corner. The above ramblings are from looking at my fishing logs from the past knowing that usually at this time of year I used to be a nutcase by this time of year and I was fishing with no positive results at days end. Though I still suck at keeping my thoughts away from self humility, I have learned to use this time of year to experiment with new types of patterns and above all, using the daytime hours that I would be on the water, to work on the bizness part of the sport.
Instead of doing all my bizness homework after fishing, I now will cut my day into early morning fishing and then afternoon wheeling and dealing online and on the telephone.
I have found that, by utilizing the tough bite time working on my career, I beat myself up a little less every year.

                                            Dancin with my daughter

While it’s not really dancing, I consider this to be more important.As a Pro Angler, My time with my kids is so special, I try to keep it in my heart constantly.Summer my 4 year old, has a unique gift, well more than one but this one is dear to my heart.She can flip her Barbie fishing pole with such stunning accuracy it’s scary.

I don’t know what I did right or wrong for that matter, but we can spend hours together in the living room in the dead of winter, putting our bait into the littlest of cups.While I know that she may stray to other interests as she grows,

Right now this is a time whilst we dance, I’ll never forget.

         My Night with Bill Dance       Scott Perratti "The Rockin’Angler"

A couple of years ago, Bill as I call him now, was making a personal appearance at a trade show in mass.
I saw this in a fishing newspaper and immediately cut it out and posted it onto my fridge.
The show wasn't for another 3 months; so everyday I looked at that flyer waiting to meet my hero.
Bill wasn't always my hero though; my first fishing hero was my father, though that only lasted till I reached my teens.
I went years without anyone to look up to till I saw Roland Martin on TV. Boy this guy was the greatest in my book.
He could do no wrong. Sometimes his show would take us to other than bass fishing, but I forgave him for that.
Then As I got older and started tournament fishing, I got to meet the Pros by going to shows, seminars, etc.
When at a Bass tournament once I finally got to meet Roland. He was all by himself in a corner parking lot, working on installing a new GPS unit on his boat. I casually walked up to the boat, shaken’ in my boots, and asked if he needed help.
Just as he was saying yes, "grab this wire and hold it for me," this damn Lowrance rep walks over and takes the wire. I wanted to kill this guy, but he was twice my size and besides he was the mighty Lowrance rep! Who the hell was I anyway?
Roland didn't even acknowledge me in the mean time. No "Thanks Anyway pal." Or anything, just then a crowd started to gather around the boat, so I got him to sign my hat along with all the other shmoes looking for an autograph.
That didn't go as I had envisioned it was supposed to go all the years leading up to it.
That's when I started to watch Bill Dance Outdoors. We finally got the outdoor life channel on cable and after seeing Bill a few times, I was hooked. This guy was the greatest. Roland who? On his show, he doesn't just catch fish, he tells you how to catch fish, look at the fish on the show! Pigs everyone, pigs! This guy wont catch anything under 5 pounds!
Bill didn't become my real hero though until I bought the Bill Dance Bloopers volume 3. The amount of abuse this man has taken over the years is incredible. I thought I've had some mishaps in my lifetime, this guy takes it like a champ, and in the end, he is still smiling. That's when I knew this guy was the king. My hero! But it gets even better.
After doing some detective work, I found what hotel Bill was staying at while doing the 3-day appearance. I called the hotel, asked to be in the room next to (my ol buddy) Bill. The hotel clerk didn't know Bill from Adam, and put me right next door.
The night before the show, Visions of dinner, hanging out all night telling fish stories, exchanging phone numbers, all danced through my brain. Sleep? No way!
So after the drive, and checking in to my room (the one right next door to Bill Dance!), I went to the show.
Walking in, I am handed a free beer cooler thing, a keychain, a bag of something I didn't care about, "Whereas Bill?" I asked.
The man pointed over to where Bill was standing where there was a small line, waiting to get his autograph and picture.
Then its my turn, and after everything I had waited so long to say to him, when I started to finally ask Bill to dinner, since we were in the same hotel, guess who comes and whisks him away? The Lowrance guy! I swear, it was the same guy from Roland.
Needless to say, I didn't get to hang with Bill that night. All I got was a sore neck from holding my ear against the wall in my room, listening for anything coming from Bills room. Oh yes, now I can tell my children, Daddy once slept next door to Bill Dance.
I did meet the Rolling Stones though, but that's another story.

                 Have You Ever Met a Dumb Bass Man?     By Scott Perratti "The Rockin' Angler"

What other sports can you go to your arena and be completely alone or as close to another as sleeping together, than there is as Bass Fishing?

In big waters, though your mind is tunneled into a zone, where every cast is as intense as the last, and every change or decision to move, is a mind fest of unthinkable amount of calculations.

For all the movements we make, changes, techniques, choices of everything we use, its a wonder that we can even obtain that mindset we call The Zone.

Our minds are the most incredible computers that are on the marketplace today. Sometimes its harder to walk and chew gum, than to have to think about, water temp, clarity, forage, color, presentation, retrieval, and all the rest of the calculations we compute all at the same time, as our arms rear back to cast that lure. And as that same lure is flying thru the air, our computers are already calculating the next three moves in advance. As our feet are controlling our craft, and our eyes are on the LCD, our supercomputers are racing at light speed to the next conclusion. When all this comes together, and we can do it without thinking, as natural as breathing, is then when you move up to the next level of fishing. This is the level where the competition gets into your blood.

So next time your talking to a Tournament Bass Angler,

6 PM news time, and guess what? It is getting scary.

We knew this was going to happen. What ramifications are going to be the worst?

Most times I don't have a problem speaking my mind. Most times I can change an outcome with the written word, petition, the media, but what do I do about this? Where do I turn to? Who can I yell at? Gas prices are now at record high and not about to go down anytime soon. Great! Just in time for spring tournaments.

Maybe I can blame myself and that I can contribute to the greener cause and use a kayak (I do own one, a Hobie Mirage and I love it.) Perhaps I can stay on the shore? Should I just stay home more?

I hate to be a downer, but folks this is serious! What is going to happen when it gets to $10.00 per? I might have an answer.

First is, to get rid of these high priced gas hogs for motors. Maybe find a diesel.

Next is, everybody on one big boat. Food and drink extra, or Instead of the big boat everybody in paddleboats or canoes. Of course the CO-angler will have to row! Then we can only bring one pole and a small bag.

OK I think you get the point, that being, we really need a plan if this is to be the future of tournament fishing. I can see it reaching everything from entry fees, to the reduction of the anglers just getting by. Ill tell you what; I'm going to start hitting up the gas companies for sponsorship.

But I still want someone to yell at.

                     An open letter to all boaters                  by Scott Perratti "The Rockin' Angler"

Thank you
Scott Perratti
"The Rockin' Angler

                                           5 Things Not to do        by Scott Perratti  "The Rockin' Angler"
                while first time spring Bass hunting home waters 

Spring is now upon us, and with anxious zeal, lots of Bass anglers are going to hit the water hard.

Though you are ready to go, you have been cooped up for months waiting for this day and here is a list of thing NOT to do whilst hitting the water for the first time, this new season

Here in the Northeast a lot of lakes are drawn down for the winter and there are shallows in places where you would have ran full out during the later months. Check your lakes.

Not only do you need to do your homework on home waters while it is still cold, a great thing to do is to take photos of areas where your normal goto spots are.

After taking the drawn down water PICS, don't just trust your instincts, do your homework

Go back and take new ones of the same exact spots where you were earlier.

You will see that mound or stump or creek bed that you cannot see once the water is up.

The worst thing you can do is to think there cant be any new info on my lake, when in fact most Bass anglers are willing to upload new info that they have collected during the last season. Even if its a small change it CAN make a difference this year.

I know you have been waiting months to finally use that Banjo or kicker fish kit you purchased on that TV infomercial. But they are not yet confidence lures. Take one or two with you and use it up first. See what it does and how it really works before you throw it to the wolves. Maybe a little change to it will turn it into a winning lure.

There are two last things that are important as the new season comes around,

Fish slowly. Make it a deliberate part, over emphasis is key to slowing down. Make up a "Slow down" song up in your head and sing it all day. Also be sure to:

Dress in layers: As we trudge around during winter months we usually wear underwear and then our heavy clothes and that's it. So when you go out, make sure to wear thinner layers and adjust as needed. Sometimes Just by taking off that heavy winter coat you can gain confidence in your newfound freedom of movement.

These are just a few things that come to mind, as there are so many more, as we all know. But always, keep the Fun in it. That's why you love it so. Its Fun!!

                            MY LOVE FOR TACKLE         by Scott Perratti "The Rockin' Angler"

I guess it started at about age 6. When I used to collect keys. Yes keys. Every shape, size and color.

I had master keys, skeleton keys, broken keys, lost keys. Just about any key you can think of, I had it.

But that same year, I started to go Bass fishing with my friends. When I started it was just an old Zebco, some hooks and the night crawlers I dug up the night before. We would be out there catching everything under the sun. Perch, Blue Gill, Catfish, and maybe some Bass. It was when I caught that first 2 pound smallmouth I was hooked. Literally! Upon Catching that fish I lodged the hook into my finger so deep, I ran home bleeding all the way. But that was also the day I got a look into Tommy’s tackle box! It was like gazing upon the mother lode!! Well, I had always hung out with Tommy so I figured I could use his lure’s. Right? Wrong… There was no way he was going to let me loose any of his lures. So that winter I did what every future Bassman would have done, provided he was in New England, And that is, shovel snow. I shoveled walks, driveways, sidewalks, cleaned cars, and what did I do with all that dough? Tackle…. Tackle, and more tackle, and before you knew it I had more tackle than Tommy. There is a moral to this story though, it is That a man cannot have too much Tackle, The problem is twofold, First I keep having to buy new boxes or bags for the new tackle I buy each year, and believe me I have way too many, and the other is,

          NEWS AND LESSONS LEARNED